Dreamcatcher
by ResurgereTento
Summary: Ridiculously AU. Naruto has dealt in dreams for most of his life, but finds himself uncertain when faced with the horrifying nightmares of a complete stranger. Eventual NaruSasu.
1. Chapter 1

WHAT AM I DOING.

Starting _another_ multi-chapter, like a moron. Ah well, I'm sure you'll all live.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I don't own the concept of Dreamcatchers either, though I'm not _entirely_ sure who does. See the end of the chapter for details.

* * *

Naruto glanced at the piece of paper in his hand, and then tugged his hood further down over his bright blond hair before starting down the street. It wasn't quite entirely dark – the faintest of highlights painted the horizon still – but night had arrived. It was half past seven and dinners had been eaten, silence had fallen and the edges of Naruto's mind were noting the abnormally thick shadows beginning to slither across neatly manicured lawns. 

The children had been put to bed.

He was attracting a great deal of attention from the few people still out and about, walking dogs or returning home from just a little too much overtime at work. As always Naruto attributed the stares to his unusual attire, the most striking feature of which was an ankle-length cloak of an orange so dark it bordered on red. He had owned it for a long time – when it came to Dreamcatching, wearing it was not optional. Cloaks provided the base from which a Dreamcatcher's Guardian manifested, so neglecting to wear one resulted in a situation wherein the offender was _really_ up shit creek without a paddle. So to speak.

Naruto smiled as a faint tinkle of bells from further down the street tickled his senses, and then brought himself to a halt in front of the garden gate of one of the houses. Blinking in surprise, he took in all the details of the house before him – brick walls, well-kept garden and white picket fence. It was an utterly average sort of home – one could almost imagine the Labrador – and if Naruto was completely honest with himself, "average" well and truly failed to describe the majority of homes he was called to. Double-checking his slip of paper once more against the letterbox, he gave a shrug and pushed open the gate.

The path was paved and short, flanked by aesthetically pleasing shrubberies. There was even a garden gnome, fishing for – presumably – worms in the dirt. He climbed the steps to the porch and, raising an eyebrow at the 'Welcome' mat, rang the doorbell.

There was a short pause before the door opened and Naruto was face-to-face with an elderly man in a dressing gown. They gazed at each other for a moment, before Naruto silently tugged up the sleeve of his right arm and displayed his palm. The Dreamcatcher spiral was black against his skin, tattooed into the center and already beginning to thrum with energy.

The other man – Sarutobi, Naruto recalled – nodded and gave a small smile, the relief evident in his expression. He moved back and held open the door, allowing Naruto to step inside.

"Good evening," the older man greeted. "I appreciate that you came."

"Good morning," Naruto responded with a grin. "And I'm glad I could help."

Sarutobi nodded again, and then gestured towards a staircase at the end of the hall. "Please, come this way. He should be brushing his teeth…can I get you anything?"

Naruto shook his head as Sarutobi led the way up the stairs. "I'm fine."

The other man glanced back towards him. "Well, so long as you're certain. My apologies, I'm not sure of the procedure involved here. But I do hope it works," he went on, returning his gaze forward. "I feel as if I've tried everything."

"Don't let it worry you," Naruto replied. "I'll take care of it." His brow furrowed as his took in the man before him. He had to admit the man definitely wasn't the sort of half-cracked occultists he was usually hired by, which made Naruto wonder how the guy found him. Although, it wasn't particularly difficult to get a hold of information if you knew what you were looking for. Once upon a time, people came to know of Dreamcatchers by the whispers of fortune tellers, the ballads of blind poets and the songs of gypsies.

Nowadays, they used the internet.

But still, the old man didn't seem the type. Was he that desperate? Naruto frowned, and then tossed aside the musings in favour of more important matters. "How long has this been occurring?"

"Around four months," Sarutobi responded, coming to a halt in front of a closed door. A childishly scrawled 'KEEP OUT' sign decorated it, complete with angry faces. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

"If I may ask, was there any particular trigger?"

Sarutobi closed his eyes briefly. "His…parents. They passed away quite suddenly – a car accident." The man was rubbing the doorframe with a worried hand, his expression full of grief.

Naruto bit his lip. He sure as hell knew how that felt. "I'm…sorry."

Sarutobi gave him a sad smile, and then pushed open the door.

Naruto was greeted by a room that screamed 'young boy' at the top of its messy lungs, from the dark blue colour scheme, to the numerous figurines lining the shelves and the piles of junk on the floor. Which, he noticed, also boasted an inflated air mattress. He found himself touched by the gesture – most customers neglected that little detail.

His gaze was then drawn to a small pajama-clad figure sitting cross-legged on the bed and glaring for all he was worth.

"This is _stupid_, Pop!" came the immediate greeting. "I don't _need_ his stupid help!"

The older man opened his mouth, but Naruto beat him to it. "Well, you ain't got a choice, brat. You're not getting rid of me, so hurry up and get to sleep already."

Both Sarutobi and the kid looked a little taken aback. Inwardly Naruto grinned, before turning to the other man and passing a secret wink before switching smoothly into explanatory mode. "If there are no problems, it should only take me a few hours," he'd said this little speech a thousand times before. "Afterwards I'll be completely out for around a half hour or so…but you should be able to kick me out your door by midnight."

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather stay the night?" Sarutobi asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Thanks, but nah. We tend to be fairly nocturnal by nature."

He turned back towards the boy on the bed, who had been wearing an expression of reluctant interest that he quickly schooled into a scowl. Naruto gave a mental snicker at the attitude.

Picking his way through the mess on the floor, Naruto took his place at the end of the bed and placed his bag at his feet. He then nodded at Sarutobi who, with one last worried glance and a quiet 'goodnight', closed the door.

"Konohamaru, right?" Naruto asked without turning around. "It's okay, kid," he continued gently. "Go to sleep, I'm here."

There was silence behind him, then the shuffling sounds of blankets being pulled back and limbs being arranged for comfort.

There was another pause. "…goodnight."

Naruto shot a grin over his shoulder. "Sweet dreams."

And, pulling an empty orb from his bag, he settled in to wait.

* * *

It didn't take long. 

Not ten minutes later, his watchful gaze caught the shadows that had begun to condense and swirl in the corner of the room closest to the window. Immediately he was alert, pricking his left thumb on one of his necklaces before pressing it into the swirl of his right palm.

He felt the tug of his robes a moment later as they lifted, defying gravity to float around his shoulders. He dragged his thumb down the inside of his wrist and through the stylized fox tattooed to the inside of his forearm, leaving behind an unbroken smear of his blood. Instantly he heard a low growl from above him as his Guardian took form – the sudden warmth and reddish light made it easy to imagine without looking the snarling fox above him, nine tails fanned out behind. Kyuubi.

With a wary glance into the corner Naruto picked up the empty orb from his lap and cupped his hands around it. It is clear still, the glassy surface winking up at him. With a final nervous swallow – it was difficult for a Dreamcatcher to get used to the sights they saw in this state, no matter how many years they have experienced it for – he closed his eyes and _slipped._

His consciousness in part fell away from him as he entered the familiar state of mind between sleep and awake – where thoughts are hazy and very little makes sense, or needs to. He then opened his eyes, sluggishly, to the Dreamscape.

The view was utterly different from a moment ago and something that only a Dreamcatcher could ever imagine, let alone see. Everything was exaggerated – the nightlight glowed blindingly bright, the bookcase seemed to loom enormous and threatening while the clutter appeared nearly alive, each piece nearly indistinguishable from the next. But most significantly, the thick shadow that signaled a nightmare through a Dreamcatcher's normal vision was no longer merely an ambiguous, vaguely menacing blob.

It was still relatively small and contained to a single corner of the room, but it was growing at an alarming rate as the child behind Naruto slipped into a deeper sleep. It was impossible, Naruto found as he stared through half-lidded eyes, to determine a single feature or characteristic. It shifted under his gaze, all green and slime – a face here, teeth there, spindly legs that a moment later becomes the scales of a snake. It doesn't need a shape, not yet. It is fear.

Naruto knows from experience that, should he choose to give the nightmare a few moments to itself, it would soon take a more solid form – namely, whichever image Konohamaru chooses to give it in his slumber. Because, he reminds himself, what he sees before him is the simple manifestation of the child's darkest imagination, still in an incoherent form. Naruto also knows from experience that, should he provide this chance, the nightmare will prove a great deal more difficult to defeat.

Like hell.

His head sways gently. _Go._

With a snarl Kyuubi leaps forth, claws dragging and teeth sinking into the grotesque shape. Naruto winces, it must taste foul.

Kyuubi snaps his jaw once, twice; then rips with his claws. _Again._

The Guardian is growling as it tears into the nightmare, narrowly avoiding a number of counterattacks from the threat before them. A set of teeth dig into the fox's orange flank, and it hardly notices. Naruto sure as hell did, however, and the pain flares from his side. There'll be a bruise in the morning. _Now._

The nine tails unfurl in all directions, stretching and filling every corner of the room with dark reddish light. Naruto gives a sleepy smirk, and then the tails fly forward. When each has twisted around a part of the nightmare, Naruto lets his head loll backwards, mouth slightly open.

The swirl on the palm of his hand glows a soft, gentle blue.

Then the tails, the teeth, the claws all _yank_ and the nightmare comes apart.

The orb between his hands lifts to hover in midair, and begins to spin. A murmur falls, continual and monotonous, from Naruto's lips. It is not of any distinguishable language.

Kyuubi has settled down, through there is still a soft rumbling growl in the air. Slowly it begins to pull pieces of the nightmare towards the orb, one at a time. He drops the piece in his mouth first, like a dog playing fetch with his master.

A stream of bright blue light flowing from the palm of Naruto's right palm, reaches up to twist around the offered piece of nightmare. It tightens, and then pulls the green substance into the orb.

The fight is over.

And, Naruto thinks fuzzily as falls headfirst onto the air mattress over an hour later, it could have been worse.

* * *

Confused? Good. XD That was just settin' stuff up. Although, I really really need a freaking beta. I did something uncomfortable with the tenses again. ;-; 

The Dreamcatchers – this story is completely inspired by an absolutely freaking beautiful piece of artwork I saw on Deviantart. I'll do my best with a link, because it is well and truly worth seeing and I really feel the need to credit it:

www(dot)deviantart(dot)com(forwardslash)deviation(forwardslash)39532506

I think it's pretty self explanatory what to do with that.

There's a quote you'll find there that describes the concept of Dreamcatchers – I won't repost it here in an attempt to make you go view the art (seriously, go. And look through the rest of the work while you're there). My _problem_ is that I don't actually know where the information comes from. It may even be the artist's own idea in which case I'll feel mighty stupid and may stop writing the fic. Because really, writing fanfiction about someone's random concept feels a little weird, even if it is awesome.

Why do all the dreams come in through the windows? Stuffed if I know. Figure it makes sense though, since those woven Dreamcatchers you can buy are supposed to be hung there. shrugs

Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

It was half-past midnight when Naruto stumbled out of his client's door, the old man bidding him an incredibly grateful goodnight. He had every reason to be thankful – Naruto had sucked enough nightmare Matter out of that room for the boy to sleep peacefully for at least three months. Hopefully, that would be long enough for the kid to work through the trauma of his parents' deaths.

The street was dark now, lit only faintly by lampposts generously spaced along the sidewalk. The contrasting line that divided the light they cast from the shadows blurred eerily in Naruto's vision, the only evidence of the fading Dreamscape. Most dreams would be long inside their conjurer's homes by this point, so the streets were empty. As he started down the pavement, he saw the only remaining house light flicker off at the distant end of the street.

He eyed it warily and gnawed his lip, before rolling his eyes at himself. He would have to pass by that house in order to cross through the park next to it, but there was no reason to be nervous. Even if he met the dream Matter of the house's resident, he could handle it. It wouldn't necessarily be nightmare Matter, and even if it was he had undoubtedly seen worse in his travels. Nonetheless, he noted as he turned his eyes to the swirling Milky Way above him, the rational thoughts did nothing to quell the uneasy clench of his stomach.

He should have known better – if Lady Tsunade had taught him anything by now, it was to trust his instincts.

He had almost made it past the house when he heard the slither and, against his better judgment, turned to see.

Instinctively he jerked into a defensive position, hand grappling for his pointed necklace. This was like _nothing_ he had seen before.

The nightmare Matter – it was clearly nightmare, never a dream – was still in its fetal form, but was rapidly gaining recognisable shape. Naruto's fading Dreamscape vision showed him far more than shifting shadows and far more than he'd ever want to see. Instead of the garish and overdramatic Matter of children this seemed almost like boiling flesh, bleeding from gaping wounds and leaving stains in its wake. As Naruto watched, frozen in shock, there was a flash of metal and then –

_A face._

Naruto generally considered himself difficult to faze, but he nearly screamed aloud as the Matter took shape – _early, early, too early! – _and recognisably human forms began to emerge out of the throbbing mass. He knew immediately that the dreamer must be an adult – children rarely had nightmares of people – but he'd never seen anything like this hideous. Not even while drawing and sealing Gaara's dreams, and that was saying something. His peripheral senses were crying out for attention with the faint sounds of screaming and the tainting stench of torn flesh.

Shaking himself out of a daze Naruto realised that the Matter had reached the house and was beginning to seep through the tiny gaps around the edges of the window. His decision was made impulsively, in an instant – he didn't give a fuck about breaking and entering, _no one_ should have to sleep through that.

His feet were moving before he'd had any more time to think and he sprinted towards the front door, cloak billowing behind. Thundering up the front steps he tried the doorknob – locked, obviously – and then began to fumble quickly through his innumerable pockets. Finding what he was searching for in a pouch hanging from his belt, he undid the lid of the small jar and stuck his finger into the strong-smelling ointment inside. He smeared the Spell onto the doorknob, following its edges before tracing a quick rune onto its centre. Pocketing the jar he concentrated on what he was about to do – the Spell worked on intentions, so burglars would have no use of it – he twisted the handle and opened the door.

Taking a guess based on the wild hope that this house had at least a vaguely similar layout to Sarutobi's, he headed for the stairs. Slower now, so as to keep quiet – it wouldn't do to be mistaken for a burglar, even if it did wake the dreamer up – he climbed them.

It didn't take him long to find the main bedroom and as he pushed open the door he pricked his thumb once more on his necklace. Fumbling for an empty orb and trying desperately to ignore the pulsing _evil_ coming from the bedroom, he stepped forward, drew his thumb down his forearm, fell to his knees and opened the Dreamscape.

Kyuubi rose up instantly, though Naruto could sense his confusion over being drawn on twice in one night. It didn't take long, however, for a wave of tension to rip through both of them as they took in the sight before them.

The dreamer was a man, dark hair a stark contrast to his white pillow. Pale skin grew even paler and developed a sheen as the man began to tremble, and the reason why was obvious.

Another man, similar in appearance but taller and inherently more threatening, had stepped – _fully formed – _out of the Matter's twisting mess. The man stalked towards the bed, ornate knife clasped in his hand.

_This is insane, _Naruto thought desperately. Even when people dreamed of humans, they were generally vague – shifting faces and fuzzy images. The man before Naruto looked like he could easily have just walked in off the street.

He snapped back to attention when the man raised his knife, even as his peripheral vision caught sight of the rest of the Matter taking form – _corpses? _ - and he rolled the orb between his fingers.

_Kyuubi._

A snarl erupted from the hunched form above him, and Naruto sensed a tingle of anticipation. A…challenge?

Naruto grinned, a love of battle taking over. With a drowsy roll of the head and flutter of the eyelids, he extended his arms and allowed the orb to drop to the floor. He couldn't let Kyuubi have this one all to himself.

_Drawing control._

Kyuubi understood immediately, and with only slight reluctance shifted. Naruto felt the extra weight on his arms and neck – proof of a solid connection between the two of them. Alertness came back to him, and his eyes cleared. In this state Kyuubi would act as an extension of his own body, allowing him to battle the dream. They fought better this way – Naruto understood combat better than the animalistic go-for-the-jugular instincts of the fox. It would, however, completely wipe him out.

But he could worry about that later.

He drew himself to his feet and blinked, eyes opening to show slit red. With a widening grin and newly-grown fangs, he threw himself forward.

The nightmare turned in time to dodge the first fist to the face, and the battle had begun. Barely avoiding an upward thrust from the knife Naruto spun, dropped and kicked upwards violently. His foot barely brushed the man's chest and missed the target – his chin – entirely as the head tilted backwards just far enough to avoid. Naruto twisted to follow through with a fist and instead choked when a knee collided with his stomach.

Stumbling backwards, he wiped saliva from his lips before snarling and hurling himself forward again.

They clashed brutally, Naruto's brash technique against the elegant – trained, almost – grace of the dark-eyed dream. Fists flew quickly, punctuated by the occasional powerful kick. The majority of the attacks didn't find purchase, though Naruto took more hits than the other man. However, Naruto was far more solid and they did very little to deter him.

Breathing heavily by now – _no dream should be this strong _– Naruto finally saw an opening, and didn't hesitate to take it. Pushing all his strength into one Kyuubi-infused punch, Naruto landed it directly on the nightmare's nose. Hearing the crack – _or this real – _he watched as the dark-haired man flew backwards before retrieving the empty orb from where it had fallen. Pressing his still tender thumb harshly into the swirl on his palm, he watched as the orb began to spin between his hands.

Concentrating on the nightmare unconscious against the far wall – the remaining Matter, while terrifying, didn't appear to be actively malicious – he drew it forward and into the crystal.

The process was slow and difficult for the exhausted Dreamcatcher, still trying to get his breath back. As he made progress, he raised his eyebrows in bleary surprise.

The orb was glowing blood red.

Naruto had been a Dreamcatcher since he was a child, but his nightmare-filled orbs had always been blue. Hell, they were consistent for all Dreamcatchers – he knew, for example, that Gaara's were always a pale green. It had become something of a collector's craze, to purchase a filled orb of every Dreamcatcher.

So why red?

Pushing his concerns aside for the moment, he completed the absorption of the man and focused on the remaining nightmare Matter. As he drew it in, he took stock of his injuries. A knife wound – apparently an attempt to disembowel him – across the stomach. Not too deep, but burning like hell. Another more minor laceration on his left shoulder, as well as some drawn blood on his right thigh. Blood in his mouth, from where teeth had cut into cheek from a particularly hard punch. Bruised ribs as well, it would seem.

Luckily, he healed quickly.

Some unknown period of time later, the last of the nightmare was contained within the orb. Pocketing it, he released the connection with Kyuubi. Immediately all his energy rushed out of him, exhaustion falling upon him like a heavy weight. With a fuzzy gaze, he took in the room. Dark-haired man on the bed, somehow still asleep – but sleeping peacefully. Naruto could see dream Matter beginning to condense, now that the threat of nightmare Matter was gone. It began to take the shape of a woman – _a girlfriend, probably – _and Naruto looked away. He always found dreams to be rather private things, and never liked to intrude.

The room itself was neat, and absent of clutter. Drawers, a few photographs, a painting on the wall, bloodstain on the – fuck. Bloodstain on the carpet.

Kneeling – hell, he did _not_ have the energy for this – he pulled another Spell from his thigh pouch. Stain removers were a part of the standard Dreamcatching kits that Lady Tsunade created, unlike the more unorthodox unlocking Spell. Uncorking the vial, he shook a small amount of the powder over the stain and yawned as it frothed. Done.

His eyes had begun to close on their own but he dragged himself to his feet, because there was no way he could pass out on the floor of a stranger. With a slight stumble – he felt almost drunk – he made his way to and out the door. Stairs passed in a blur, and he soon found himself outside.

He used the fence as support as he staggered down the pavement towards the park, some part of him already acknowledging that he was never going to make it home. At this point, any shelter would do.

Ahead of him, a tiny structure came into focus. A bus shelter. Heaving a sigh of relief he stumbled towards it and, upon reaching it, fell heavily onto its bench.

He had just enough sense to cover himself in his cloak before handing himself over to the mercy of his own dreams.

* * *

Another Itachi-went-crazy-in-my-emo-past story! Personally, I'm actually more fond of the Itachi-is-a-functional-human-being when it comes to AUs (not because I think he's redeemable in canon. I think he's _crazy_ in canon, but also think it's the circumstances of his childhood that did it to him - a major factor in which was the whole being trained to kill when he was barely out of freaking nappies. And that, friends, is not going to happen in real world AUs, thus sane Itachi) but well hell, something's gotta give the poor kid nightmares. :D

Anyway, review etc. Eee.


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